Remaking the bass synth from the 2013 song "When A Fire Starts To Burn" by Disclosure can be an exciting challenge for any synthesizer enthusiast. Here’s how you can create the "When A Fire Starts To Burn" bass patch and play this iconic sound on most hardware or software subtractive synthesizers (Serum, Vital, Pigments, Prophet, Korg, Moog, etc). We've included the preset download directly for your convenience, but we strongly recommend you use our programming tutorial to recreate it yourself.
Original Audio
Disclosure’s “When A Fire Starts To Burn” features a dynamic bass synthesizer that emerges at 0:32, characterized by a square wave oscillator with velocity-triggered filter decay modulation. This setup allows the bass to shift between fat, resonant low notes (when velocity is low) and plucky, filtered notes (when velocity is high), creating contrast. The bassline’s interplay with the track’s vocal sample and percussion underscores its role as a foundational rhythmic element.
Original Performing Instrument
Unknown
Our Remake of The Bass Synth
This audio clip is how close we've matched the original tone of the bass synth from the song "When A Fire Starts To Burn" by Disclosure, giving you a reference point as you design your own synthesizer preset. Play it as often as you need to familiarize yourself with the nuances of the sound.
Synth Patch Programming Recipe
Remake This Sound Yourself
Learn how to program this synth preset with Syntorial, all by ear. Download the demo and try unlimited famous sound challenges for free.
Getting Started
- Start by initializing your synthesizer to a plain saw with no filter, modulation or effects. For soft synths use the "init"/"default" preset or the the button to reset all parameters to their default factory values.
- No two synths are exactly alike, so treat the values below as approximate, and use your ear.
- Percentage values (e.g. 50%) represent the relative position of a knob or slider within its full range. The full range of each parameter may differ from synth to synth, so use your ear.
Voices
- Voice Mode: Mono
Amp Envelope
- Attack: 10 ms
- Sustain: 100%
- Release: 15 ms
Oscillators
- Oscillator 1
- Waveform: Pulse
- Pulse Width: 100%
- Volume: 100%
- Unison
- Oscillators: All
- Voice Count: 2
- Detune Range: 10 Cents
- Reset All Oscillators Phase On Note Start: Yes
Filter
- Type: Low Pass
- Cutoff: 35%
Reverb
- Mix: 10% Wet
- Size: Small
Velocity
- Destination: Filter Envelope Amount
- Modulation Amount: 80%
Note: the patch settings may slightly differ in the Syntorial challenge.
Explore More
- Disclosure’s “When a Fire Starts to Burn” Bass Sound Tutorial (DRC Synthesizer)
- Recreating Disclosure’s Bass Sound with Arturia Minifreak
- Forum Discussion on Disclosure-Style Synth Settings
Preset Downloads
Don't want to learn synth programming now? Use our synth preset as your starting point and tweak it from there. Register an account with Audible Genius and download the presets for free for the following synths:
- Primer, our free synthesizer VST
- Vital
